There's a controversial item on every diner's bill at the Marque restaurant in Surrey Hill, Australia: $5 tap water. The pricey tipple comes from a special $6,000 filtration system made in Italy. Chef-owner Mark Best calls the water "beautiful" and "a service to our customers."
Mark Best was inspired to institute his $5 tap water after a trip to the U.S. in which several of the fine dining restaurants he visited offered tap water that had been filtered, chilled and carbonated. "I think we are the first restaurant [in Australia] to use this system," he said. The tap water's price is billed separately in every Marque diner's meal; however, customers who complain have the charge removed from the bill.
Would you object to $5 tap water at a fine dining restaurant?